How the heck do y'all get to sleep?

chronic_and_iconic

I've really been struggling to sleep recently, between chronic pain, fibro, and all my mental health **** (anxiety, depression, adhd) it's been getting harder and harder. So I went down a rabbit-hole of info about sleep and chronic pain (there's so much nonsense out there, it's ridiculous) to put together some tips and tricks that helped me, at least. And I made some printable sheets you can use to figure out what's keeping you awake and make concrete decisions about changes you're going to make. I knew I had some bad habits, but not quite HOW much they were keeping me up until I made some changes. And actually writing stuff out makes it more concrete for me. 

Anyway, the blog post is here and it links to the printables-- but I really want to hear from anybody who has figured out something that works for them. Everybody is different, and what works for me might not work for you. But hopefully here's at least a place to start! 

DayDreamBeliever

For me pain, weird sensations, and restless legs were keeping me from sleeping. And then lack of sleep was having a huge impact on mental health which was making me struggle further to fall asleep. For a while sleep stories on the "calm" app helped me get some sleep but eventually I wasn't able to fall asleep at all anymore and after several days awake I broke down and was finally started on some pain meds that also help with sleep. Amitriptyline - it's the only reason I'm able to function at the moment 

poppy123456

I never usually had an issue with falling asleep when i actually got into bed. My problem was always staying asleep and would wake up every hour or so, it drove me crazy for about 10 years. Sometime i would just lie there awake until eventually i used to get up.

Spoke to my GP a few years ago because i was desperate to be able to have a good nights sleep. I was given Amitriptyline and been taking 50mg every night since and it's improved my sleep incredibily.

Sandy_123

I'm the same @woodbine I can sleep for England me it's only odd accasion I cant

chronic_and_iconic

That's really interesting to me that two of you guys found a lot of benefit in amytriptiline. Really makes me wish I wasn't allergic to it! Ugh. But I did find a different psych drug that really helps me sleep... or, get to sleep, at least, which is half the battle. 

JessieJ

I have no trouble getting to sleep, but I don't go to bed until I know I will drop off after a short read at 2-3am. Then, I wake up every 20 - 40ish mins because of pain, it gets too intense & I have to change position/sides & that's how it is every night. Sometimes I drop off again after 10mins or so, othertimes I just lay & wait for sleep to grab me again. If I get four hours of broken sleep, I'm lucky. I take 100mg of amitriptyline primarily for pain, along with other pain meds, plus some for other issues, but they don't help with sleep.

Steve_in_The_City

I used to have severe sleep problems due to an unusual invisible disability. I could go over 3 weeks without a wink. I functioned perfectly during the day, so didn't fret about how I would cope the next day when I couldn't sleep during the night. But I didn't like the feeling of boredom and restlessness.

I tried following all of the usual advice for good sleep hygiene; nothing worked. I followed expert advice from doctors and quacks, all to no avail.

Then my doctor put me on Zopiclone 7.5mg. The tablets agreed with me and sent me to sleep. I now get 14 a month. This is enough for me, and I usually have a few left over. I also get a full nights sleep. So for me personally it is only tablets that work. When I go in to hospital they give me a tablet every night. I was in for over a month last time, but at least I slept well!

B23kpa1n

50mg of Promethazine with codeine works for me and a few drops of cbd oil 

Hannah_Alumni

Thank you for sharing your blog post and links to printables @chronic_and_iconic. I hope you are able to continue sleeping better!